University Professional Education for all Teachers: the example of Switzerland in the 20th century

Abstract

This article reconstructs and compares the history of university-based professional training for primary and secondary school teachers during the twentieth century in Switzerland, contrasting developments in German-speaking and French-speaking cultural areas. It presents and discusses three tensions inherent in the process of universityzation: 1) between the different bodies involved in defining training courses; 2) around the nature of the reference knowledge underpinning the teaching profession; 3) concerning the internal division of the professional field between primary and secondary education levels.